AT&T & Cricket Wireless Differentiating Themselves

The Internet of Things is just one driver of the bigger digital transformation picture that is changing the face of telecom. Those carriers and device manufacturers that aren’t willing to adapt to the evolving landscape risk falling behind emerging competition—even if they’re some of the biggest companies in the world today.

Two companies that presented at Mobility Live North America and are taking vastly different approaches to change are AT&T and Cricket Wireless:

Glenn Lurie, AT&T President and CEO: Alongside plans to improve their network for IoT connectivity, AT&T plans to capture future business through video. Their acquisition of DirectTV and their plans to acquire Time Warner point to the fact that AT&T wants to own both the content and the network it’s delivered on. However, this will require increasingly powerful mobile devices and will accelerate turnover cycles in the secondary market.

John Dwyer, President of Cricket Wireless: It’s no secret that the telecom industry has its fair share of reputational issues in the eyes of consumers. But Cricket Wireless has managed to flip the script and deliver the top net promoter scores of any U.S. carrier, according to Dwyer. Moving forward, Cricket will focus on delivering a superior customer experience to differentiate itself amidst digital transformation. And while Cricket currently offers a trade-in program, we believe some improvements could propel the customer experience even further forward while also delivering additional benefits to Cricket.

Listening to Lurie and Dwyer talk about how they’ll evolve alongside the future of mobile technology got us thinking about the opportunities that lie ahead for ourselves.

Smart Technology Opportunities Emerging

The greatest opportunity at Mobility Live North America was being able to listen to the potential problems the industry is having with increasing connectivity. As everything from parking, lighting, traffic, cars, and wearables connect to and rely on mobile networks, the industry has to be ready for increased pressure.

Here are a few of the specific areas we found as emerging opportunities as IoT and smart cities progress:

Device Visibility: Connectivity modules will be integrated into things like stop signs, lights, parking garages and more. However, the challenge lies in being able to monitor these modules at all times to ensure they are functioning properly. This ability will allow for the full and complete implementation. One opportunity is to develop and roll out an accurate diagnostic solution for these modules.

IoT Device Secondary Market: In the early days of cell phones, people probably didn’t expect a massive secondary market to emerge. As IoT devices become more prevalent, a secondary market will come together and give carriers and manufacturers new opportunities.

Wearable Resales: Unlike so many IoT and smart city opportunities, wearables present an immediate opportunity for secondary sales. Whether it’s retailers or carriers, wearables are being sold in volumes that can already support a secondary market—or at least require proper disposal in ways that companies haven’t accommodated for just yet.

Each Mobility Live event we attend proves to be a wealth of information about the industry’s future and a networking opportunity that brings the best and brightest together. We’re looking forward to the next GSMA event and seeing how we’ll fit into mobile’s future.